Louis Harris

Louis A. Harris
January 4, 1932—November 12, 2013

He was, to steal a favorite phrase of Lou’s, a “real piece of work.” Born in El Paso, Texas to Lincoln T. Harris and Zereta Pierce Harris. Lou was born into the troubled times of the Depression, to a family that struggled in those troubled times. Somehow, he just popped out of the womb with a sunny disposition and from the git-go he possessed an irrepressible (and highly contagious) optimism.

He would need his sunny disposition and optimism to make it out of his chaotic childhood, bouncing from relative to relative throughout the Southwest and Utah. Largely unsupervised as a kid, this happy-go-lucky and mischievous kid was, let’s be frank, a juvie. He claims he was just “energetic” and “misunderstood.” He would have been a happy handful. Smoked his first cigarette at the tender age of 5, kicked the habit when he was 7. Tossed out of junior high for starting a food fight in the cafeteria. Broke his nose 11 times as a kid. He learned some excellent brawling skills from some of these broken noses that were showcased, occasionally, in church basketball games.

Without a doubt the best thing that ever happened to Lou was meeting and marrying the beautiful, razor sharp and witty June Karoline Samuelsen. They were married in the Salt Lake LDS Temple on May 15, 1953. Perfectly matched, they enjoyed 60 years of genuine marital bliss. They held hands every day up until the day she died. He loved listening to her play the piano. Kudos to mom for recognizing Lou as the true diamond in the rough he was and then patiently polishing the daylights out of him.

Lou was the first college graduate in his family. He enjoyed a long and very successful career in banking. He was the Chief Credit Officer for First Security Bank and retired as the President of First Security Leasing Company. Lou served as President of the Utah Banker’s Association in 1987. He possessed a formidable intellect and excellent analytical skills. Very few things slipped past him. People loved working with and for Lou. He was fair and fun to work with.

However, his professional success was dwarfed by his “success” as a husband and as a father. He flat out loved our mother. He flat out loved his children and grandchildren. His world revolved around his family. We basked in his love. To Lou, life was all about relationships. He was a world-class nurturer of relationships.

Lou was a devout and steady member of the LDS Church who served faithfully in many capacities. He was a truly stellar home teacher. He had a simple but rock solid faith in God and the Savior. He showed his love for God by serving and loving people.

Lou possessed a great sense of humor and loved to needle the people he loved. Fun loving and lighthearted. Warm and witty. Lou had presence and he could really work a room. Look up “classy” in the dictionary and you’ll see his picture. He was larger than life. He was an inveterate “people builder.” Mentor for hundreds of young men he coached in little league baseball and ward basketball teams over the years. He was a very good athlete and competitive by nature. Loved to golf. Lou was a true “Utah Man.” There were few things in life he enjoyed more than watching the gridiron Utes and Runnin’ Utes with a Diet Coke in one hand, a hot dog with mustard and onions in the other and his family surrounding him. He had a huge heart and was generous to a fault. Lou never forgot where he came from and had a huge soft spot for the underdog and the downtrodden.

Parkinson’s and a few other ailments dogged Lou over the last few years. He met them head on. He fought the good fight! We look forward to our eventual reunion with you and mom!

He is survived by his 5 grateful children: Steve (Jean) Harris, Laurie (Bruce) Knaphus, Stacey (Scott) Becker, Mia (Kent) Hyde, and John (Diane) Harris and by 17 adoring and adorable grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. His two sisters, Barbara H. Newey and Daryl H. Young also survive him. His eternal sweetheart, June, preceded Lou in death just a little over 2 months ago.

Special thanks to Lou’s grandson, Kanon Knaphus; who was an incredible and tender primary care giver to his beloved “Ice Pick Louie” over the last few years.

The funeral will be held on Tuesday November 19th at noon at the Willow Creek Stake Center located at 2350 East Creek Road (8200 South) in Sandy, Utah. A viewing at the Stake Center before the funeral services will be from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. A viewing will also be held Monday November 18th from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Stake Center. Condolences can be shared with the family at www.russonmortuary.com